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Slot Allocation at Coordinated Airports

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ENAC, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, has recently clarified certain procedures and issues relating to the allocation of slots at coordinated airports. Circular EAL-18, which implements the EU Slot Regulation (793/2004), was published on August 24 2009 and will enter into force on October 25 2009.

The distinction between coordinated airports and schedule facilitated airports is central to the regulation. Italy's coordinator, an independent non-profit association called Assoclearance, must provide ENAC's central management of commercial regulation with:

a list of the slots assigned after international scheduling conferences for the summer and winter traffic seasons, together with proof that such slots are available;

a summary of the main changes from the previous traffic season (eg, new routes and carriers);

outstanding lists and the criteria for allocating slots in such cases; and

a list of all flight operations carried out under code-sharing arrangements between carriers.

An airport coordination committee must be established at all coordinated airports. It must comprise representatives of:

the carriers flying from the airport;

such carriers' representative organizations;

the airport management company;

the air traffic control authorities (ie, the air navigation service provider and service providers for adjoining air space);

the air force (in the case of military airbases that are open to civil aviation); and

other organizations that use the airport regularly.

Participation is also open to representatives of baggage handlers, airport police and Customs.

The committee's main function is to propose changes to the coordination parameters as defined in the regulation. In particular, it must inform the competent ENAC office of all capacity increases and obtain the required authorization.

ENAC may reserve certain slots for routes that have public service status. Unlike other slots, these cannot be transferred between carriers and cannot be the subject of grandfathering rights.

The circular states that each carrier is responsible for arranging the times of the flights that it will be operating, as well as ensuring that these timings match the allocated slots. Failure to comply with a slot allocation constitutes a breach of Legislative Decree 172/2007 and fines may be imposed for:

landing or taking off at a coordinated airport without prior allocation of a slot;

incorrectly using a slot allocated by the coordinator on more than four consecutive occasions;

exchanging or transferring a slot in circumstances not provided for in the regulation; and

The materials contained on this website are for general information purposes only and are subject to the disclaimer.

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